Hug-Back
By Lindly Watters
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My heart is dark and heavy.

My feet can’t move at all.

The stress batters my levy.

A flood forces me to fall.

Drowning in my wake of worry,

Depression has been cruel before.

The ups and downs of brevity

Leave me clinging to the floor.

The day I let the ground hug back,

My heart opened and received

A message, a meaning

That only could a liar find deceit.

The world is mine, it hugs me back,

My cheek pressed to the ground.

I sat up on my meager knees.

Happiness, I had found.

The ground that held my face and bones

Would always be there surely.

The depth of my pain and moans

Would leave me honestly and purely.

For those day done

That can’t come back

Riddled with unabashed despair,

Remember that the ground below

Knows that you were there.

So, dust your knees and tap the earth,

Twist and turn my friend. 

Be grateful for this miracle 

Where the earth became your friend.


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Lindly Watters is a passionate and driven individual dedicated to self-growth, cognitive development, and helping others. A Navy veteran, she values discipline and resilience, applying them to her studies in cognitive neuroscience and education literacy. She is deeply invested in mental health advocacy, communication mastery, and personal transformation, striving to inspire others through her writing and creative pursuits.